In Memoria Ex Illa Victimae
by Midnyght Saber
Summary: Memorial fic for Matthew Shepard. This fic, like many others, just wouldn't leave me alone. I dedicate this fic to all the victims, the world over, of hate crimes in all their vile forms.


**Disclaimer:**_ Danny Phantom_ and all related characters and information are the property of Butch Hartman and Viacom International, Inc.

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**Notice initially printed in October 2008: **I know that I said that I was on hiatus until the middle of November, but something recently came up at home here in Chicago that made me start thinking. Ten years ago, University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard was brutally attacked, left tied to a barbed-wire fence for nearly 18 hours, and remained in a coma until his death nearly a week after the attack. The reason for the attack – Shepard was gay. Both of his attackers are currently serving two life sentences for the murder.

The tenth annual Gay Liberation Network's Matthew Shepard March for LGBT Freedom was on September 27th here in Chicago, and when I read the article announcing this, the story just kind of popped up.

Finally, I want to inform you that this is after "Phantom Planet" and the pin Danny is wearing in the fic come from the Neo-Pagan supplies company that I get my herbs and incense (among other things) from.

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Sam and Tucker were relaxing against the wall of the school, backpacks dropped carelessly to the ground, waiting for their half-ghost friend. Nearly a month had passed since the Disasteroid incident, and life had gone from hectic to downright insane for Danny. Having gone almost instantaneously from the no-account kid in the back row of the classroom to the most popular and sought-after individual in the world, Danny barely found time to himself anymore. The first two and a half weeks after the incident, he had dealt with over two hundred reporters from all over the globe, all who came to Amity Park to meet the world's savior.

Thankfully, the world was starting to move on to the more pressing matters of the present day, slowly losing interest in the happenings of the past. That, however, wasn't the primary concern of young Daniel Fenton this Friday morning. Sam and Tucker had gotten used to this routine quite quickly, as Danny spent his early mornings running from the massive number of fanatically-obsessed females that felt they deserved to be at Danny's side. Sam took to this with a degree of humor, as she knew just how severely these same females would have ignored Danny had he not publicly revealed himself.

A rush of cold air pressed up against Sam's left arm, and she leaned against her invisible boyfriend. "Another day, huh?"

"You got that right," he answered. "Can we go in now?"

Wordlessly, the trio, albeit only appearing to be a duo, walked in the front doors of Casper High, heading straight for their lockers. As they came up on the bank of metal compartments where they were assigned, Danny slipped back into the visible plane, and Sam almost immediately noticed a spot of discoloration on his normally immaculate t-shirt. Turning her head, she looked closely at the pin Danny wore on the right side of his shirt, her eyes dancing over the letters. "What's with the pin, Danny?"

Danny looked down at his shirt and shrugged. "It's October 12th," he answered plainly. "It's just a memorial day for me. One of a lot more, the way I've started looking at my life."

Tucker looked at the pin then, eyes scanning the words. "Dude, you're not, are you?"

"You know I'm not," Danny answered. The pin that Tucker had looked at was a small yellow pin with bold black lettering on it – _Would you think of me any differently if I told you I was gay?_ "There was a second one I was looking for, one with a red cross-out circle over the word hate."

"What does that have to do with October 12th?" Sam asked, and then blinked, suddenly remembering the newspaper report from earlier in the week. "Oh my gosh, I completely forgot about that."

Danny looked at her quizzically. "You forgot? I thought you and I were going to the march tomorrow."

"We are," Sam answered. "It just slipped my mind, and now that I think about it, I left my armband at home."

Danny reached into his backpack, pulling out two black armbands. Handing one to Sam, he slipped the other onto his right arm, the soft material stitched with the phrase

_In Memory_

_Matthew Shepard_

_December 1, 1976 – October 12, 1998_

_You were a beacon of hope_

Sam slipped her own armband on, the silence of the hallway broken by Tucker's question.

"What are you two talking about?"

Danny looked at his long-time best friend. "Matthew Shepard was beaten in 1998 by two guys because he was gay. He was in a coma for five days before he passed away." He touched his armband with silent respect. "He was murdered because two people thought he was what I am – an aberration of nature. Like I said, this is just the first of a lot of days of contemplation and memorial in my life."

"Danny and I have been talking about this since they announced the march for LGBT freedom in the paper Monday. He's been thinking a lot about how he's something far different from what society accepts, and he's actually started looking into the various organized events in Amity Park for us to attend."

Tucker's view shifted between the two teens, his voice dropping. "What's LGBT? And what's the big deal with this kid that the march is in his honor? I mean, he died when we were, what, four?"

"Something like that," Danny answered. "LGBT stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender, and Matthew Shepard wasn't just some random guy they named this march for, Tuck. Not only was he beaten into a coma, but he was left in the middle of nowhere, tied to a barbed-wire fence in the cold, and it was, what," he said, looking at Sam, "something like two days before he was found?"

"It was about a day and a half, and he was only found by chance. The biker that found him initially thought he was a scarecrow and only realized that it was an actual person when he got a closer look." Sam's eyes belied the pain she was feeling inside. "He'd been beaten so badly that the doctors couldn't even operate, and he never woke from the coma they'd left him in."

Tucker looked at his friends as they headed to class, still ten minutes ahead of the actual start of school, thankful for the privacy that heading in early offered. Dropping down into his seat in Lancer's class, the hybrid didn't even notice his teacher walk in.

"Good to see you so early, Mr. Fenton," Lancer said tersely, "and the same to you, Ms. Manson, Mr. Foley." He raised an eyebrow as his eyes coursed over Danny and Sam's right arms. "What's this day in remembrance of?" he asked.

"The Matthew Shepard murder," the couple answered in unison.

"Ah, a dark day that was," Lancer quipped respectfully. "I understand Ms. Manson's involvement with this kind of silent memorial, but what exactly led you to join her, Daniel?"

"It's like I told Tuck," he answered softly. "I am an aberration of nature. I'm half-alive and half-dead, half-human and half-ghost. I am something that shouldn't be, and that's what his attackers thought of him for something as simple as his sexual orientation. I've dealt with that kind of blind hate for two years just because I'm a ghost, so I can, in a way, sympathize with those affected by hate crimes like Shepard's." He touched the pin on his shoulder, and Lancer walked over to him, reading the inscription, a smile crawling onto his face. "Well, that's a lot more introspection than I have seen from you in the few years you've been in my class. Seems that getting this second life of yours into the open finally gave you the time you seemed so desperately to need."

Danny smiled at his teacher. "You have no idea."

"So, you and Ms. Manson are going to be at the walk tomorrow?"

Sam looked up at Lancer. "Yeah. Why?"

"I'll have to keep my eyes open and meet up with you there," he answered, pulling up his right sleeve to expose a similar armband to the ones that Danny and Sam were wearing. "I've known a lot of people throughout my life who've been driven to far worse fates than the one you've dealt with over the last few years. Some were friends, some were students, but I understand what you mean."

The bell sounded then, cutting into their discussion, and Lancer headed back to his desk, shuffling through his papers, getting ready to start the day.

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Yeah, I know it's short, but there really wasn't a lot to this story to begin with. It was just a small memorial fic, not only in memory of Matthew Shepard, but in memory to all, both known and nameless, who have suffered the brutality of those who think of differing sexual orientation as an atrocity against God or a violation of nature. I support all people, regardless of their gender, in the relationships that they decide to pursue, as long as there is love and respect between those involved. Another pin from the supply company I mentioned puts it best – "The quality of a relationship is more important than the gender of the people in it." As long as you are comfortable with the person you are with and there is respect – physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually – between those involved, my blessings go with you.

And though this was spurned into existence because of the newspaper announcement of the march _**and**_ listening to Trivium's "And Sadness Will Sear", I refused to add the lyrics to this story, mostly because I felt it would detract from the overall feel I was going for.

May the Goddess bless and protect all Her children as they walk through life.

DigitalPhantom (Sephira Phantom)


End file.
